Chennai Airport descended into chaos on Friday as IndiGo’s operational crisis worsened, leaving passengers stranded and helpless, with travel plans upended across India. Flights were cancelled without adequate prior notice, leaving travelers grappling with urgent personal commitments, medical emergencies, weddings, and professional obligations.

Divya Kaneja, a newlywed dressed in blue athleisure and traditional bangles, stood among the most vocal of stranded passengers at the IndiGo counters. She had married just four days ago in Chennai and was due to return to her hometown of Varanasi, accompanied by her husband and elderly parents. Both her parents were facing serious medical conditions — her mother had a fractured femur and her father had surgery scheduled for December 7, shortly after the wedding. “The airline didn’t even provide water, food, or wheelchair assistance for my aged parents. At our age we can still manage,” Kaneja said. With no resolution from the airline, her husband had to take her parents to a nearby hotel to secure accommodation, while she continued negotiating with IndiGo staff to cover additional costs. Kaneja lamented, “I’m spending half the money I spent on my wedding now because of this mess. We have to book hotel rooms for all family members who cannot fly back to Varanasi.”

Kaneja’s situation was emblematic of the larger distress at the airport, where passengers with urgent needs faced immense difficulties. Vimal Ashok, a consultant from Mumbai, was scheduled to fly to Jaipur to see his five-month pregnant wife. “I work offshore, so I haven’t seen her in five months. We were excited to do the 20-week scan together after I landed in Jaipur,” he said. Ashok also faced professional pressures, needing to report to work in Mumbai in three days, with limited options once he left for offshore duty. He expressed frustration at the lack of timely information: “Most passengers only got to know about their cancellations from the display boards. I don’t think a train or bus will work. I don’t know what to do, so I am going to stay here at the airport to see if there is any flight I can take.”

International travelers were not spared. TSM Akkash, a Sri Lankan, recounted a harrowing 11-hour delay in Colombo, followed by his arrival in Chennai to find his connecting flight to Jaipur cancelled. “I am willing to pay any amount to go to Jaipur because it’s my brother’s wedding, but there are no seats in SpiceJet or Air India. His brother had flown on Air India a day earlier,” Akkash said. Similarly, Anya and Lisa, Russian nationals traveling in India, were stranded for four hours at the airport, unaware of the flight cancellation and unable to secure refunds promptly. They scrambled to explore alternate travel arrangements, including buses to Goa, as their return flight to Serbia loomed in two days.

Medical emergencies added another layer of urgency. Neha Srivastava, who needed to visit her 86-year-old father in an Indore hospital, faced despair as IndiGo’s cancellations left her with no immediate alternatives. “Only IndiGo has a flight to Indore, so what will I do?” she asked, showing the email confirmation from the airline. Another passenger missed a US visa interview because her Mumbai-to-Chennai flight had been delayed and subsequently cancelled. She was unable to reschedule with the embassy, leaving her stranded and anxious.

Passengers repeatedly voiced frustration at the lack of clear communication from IndiGo staff. For hours, travelers were denied assistance, information, and guidance. “We have been fighting for this for so many hours. This chaos is something we have never experienced anywhere in the world,” said Lisa. Food and basic amenities were scarcely provided, with the airline reportedly offering only a single sandwich to passengers around 8 pm.

Security personnel, including the CISF, had to manage rising tensions inside the terminal. Many passengers, upset by the absence of solutions and mounting delays, expressed their anger openly. “You are a fraud,” one man from Kolkata shouted at airline staff behind the glass. Police constable R. Anandraj described the scene: “Everyone is angry. People have been banging on the glass. We are trying to calm them, but these are people with genuine emergencies, and no one knows what to do.”

The ongoing IndiGo crisis at Chennai Airport underscores the wider operational disruptions affecting the airline nationwide, impacting thousands of travelers. With flight schedules curtailed and communication gaps widespread, the situation has highlighted the critical need for efficient crisis management, proactive passenger communication, and contingency planning to mitigate distress during such large-scale disruptions.

Passengers continue to await clarity on refunds and rebooking options, while airport and airline authorities scramble to stabilize operations. The chaos at Chennai Airport on Friday serves as a stark reminder of the far-reaching consequences of operational failures in India’s civil aviation sector, particularly for passengers with urgent medical, familial, or professional commitments.